But my vote goes to bicycle tires (if you ride a bicycle at all regularly, doesn’t matter if for sport or commuting).
They’re probably the one thing that affects how your bike rides the most.
Either make it noticably faster, or more comfy, or completely solve the issue of getting flats, or let you ride where you couldn’t before, like off road, through sand, or on ice.
And even really good racing tires are cheap compared to what other upgrades on your bike cost.
I’ve always heard it said to never skimp on the things that come between you and the ground. Shoes, mattresses, tires, chairs, etc. Gravity is an unforgiving mistress and it has ways of subtly wearing down your body and your equipment if you don’t protect against it well enough.
never is a strong word.
But my vote goes to bicycle tires (if you ride a bicycle at all regularly, doesn’t matter if for sport or commuting).
They’re probably the one thing that affects how your bike rides the most.
Either make it noticably faster, or more comfy, or completely solve the issue of getting flats, or let you ride where you couldn’t before, like off road, through sand, or on ice.
And even really good racing tires are cheap compared to what other upgrades on your bike cost.
I’ve always heard it said to never skimp on the things that come between you and the ground. Shoes, mattresses, tires, chairs, etc. Gravity is an unforgiving mistress and it has ways of subtly wearing down your body and your equipment if you don’t protect against it well enough.